The damage to buildings and their contents due to storms, and especially hurricanes, is an ever increasing problem. Doors, windows and other openings in buildings must be secured from wind and rain. Once an opening in a building is breached, wind can enter the interior of the structure and damage or destroy walls, the roof and other parts of the building.
At least two basic approaches to secure openings in buildings are in general use, particularly in areas prone to hurricanes. One approach is to equip doors and windows in the building with “hurricane-resistant” glass, which generally comprises a combination of plastic vinyl layers and polyester film bonded between panes of glass to form a single sheet. Impacts by flying debris and the like from a storm may shatter the outer pane(s) of glass, but the interior plastic layer(s) generally prevent a breach of the opening. While laminated glass products of this type are reasonably effective, they are expensive, they frequently leak and they must be completely replaced, including the frame, if damaged.
The most common approach to securing openings in buildings involves placing a hurricane shutter or some type of panel, such as plywood, over a window, door, etc. to protect against wind, rain and flying debris. There are many types of hurricane shutters, including storm panel shutters, accordion shutters, colonial shutters, bahama-style shutters, roll-down shutters and others. Storm panel shutters come in different forms, but generally comprise a number of corrugated panels formed of metal or plastic which overlap one another and mount within tracks or to bolts affixed to the sides of the window or door opening. Colonial and bahama-style shutters are more aesthetically pleasing, and permanently mount either at the top or along the sides of the opening. Shutters of this type have louvered panels which may be closed, and the shutters secured to the building, during a storm. Accordion hurricane shutters typically comprise one or two groups of pivotally interconnected panels which are movable between a retracted position at one side of the opening, and an extended position to cover the opening.
Shutters of the type described above suffer from various deficiencies. All are relatively expensive and may be deployed in advance of storm with varying degrees of difficulty. Many shutters remain permanently in place on the exterior of a structure and detract from the aesthetics of the building, and require periodic maintenance due to exposure to the elements.
Given the disadvantages of hurricane-resistant glass and shutters, the placement of a panel over doors, windows and other openings is a comparatively inexpensive alternative. However, difficulty arises with the manner in which the panels are mounted in place to the door and window frames, or other openings in a building. In many instances, sheets of plywood or other panels made of similar materials are nailed or screwed to the building structure. This creates unsightly holes which must be filled in and painted over after the storm has passed. Further, nails and screws can be pulled out of place when subjected to high winds, particularly where the panels do not snugly fit the openings and are larger in size, e.g. panels for large doors and windows.
Fastener devices for securing an object such as a panel with respect to door frames, window frames and other openings in a building have been proposed in the past. U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,118 discloses two cross braces which are pivotally connected to one another and mounted to a board sized to fit over the opening of a window. The ends of each brace receive a rod which telescopes in and out of the brace. In order to mount a board over a window opening, the rods at the opposed ends of both cross braces are extended into openings formed in the window frame. French Patent No. 2 237 485 discloses a central telescoping element which supports arms that extends to the four corners of a window or other opening in a building to secure a plastic film over the opening. U.S. Pat. No. 2,549,661 teaches the use of cross braces including a horizontally extending brace and vertically oriented members located on the outside of a window, and at least one horizontal brace and one vertical member positioned on the inside of a window. Rubber strips are located between the horizontal braces and the window pane, and between the vertical members and window pane, to localize the effect of vibratory stresses on the window pane produce by storms.
Each of the fastener devices noted above is relatively complex, expensive, difficult to install and may require tools for installation. Further, such devices do not readily accommodate openings of different size.